Deuces Wild | 2023
Sophie Duplock
August 19th, 2023 marked the 17th successful year for the Deuces Wild battle in Atlanta, Georgia. It has expanded well since its start, and is now the longest running breaking event in the state. It first started in 2007 when Johnny “Blaze” Le was attending the University of Georgia. He started deejaying in 2004 at bars and hip hop events in Athens, where his friends would come and break. One of the owners said Johnny should host an event there, and while he had never intended on producing battles, he decided to go for it, running it exactly how he wanted to.
Johnny noticed the need for an event that was more inclusive, with one of the goals being an earlier ending time. With many breakers, including himself, starting to dance in their younger teenage years, having battles end after midnight made them a lot less accessible, so he wanted Deuces Wild to end by 11pm.
Deuces Wild originally started as a two versus two format, but has since expanded to include all different formats such as crew and all styles. This year, there was a three versus three crew battle and an open all styles battle. Luffy took the win for allstyles after an energy filled final against Hermiz. Zeku and Nelzwon, representing BreakinMIA, took the win for the three versus three breaking battles, as a crew of just two. They went against Monster Energy Breakers (Kareem, Bowzee, and Jeremy) in a four round final. Packed with energy, skill, and love, this battle was a true showcase of the amazing culture that breaking is.
This win was a full circle moment for Zeku. The first battle he ever went out of state for was in Atlanta. He had lost the qualifier and couldn’t afford to get there, but he was willing to do what it took to get there, and went on to sell his Xbox in order to afford the travels. He may be down an Xbox, but he’s now one of the best names in breaking, and gets to showcase his talents all over the world.
There may be another year until the next Deuces Wild, but for now, watch these amazing final battles for yourself!
3vs3 Crew Finals: https://youtu.be/bJypTmDKKDw
Allstyles Finals: https://youtu.be/qdr1S-BuYhA
Photos by Fulani Jabri @fulanigjabri
For more pics check - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.838420557651328&type=3
